Ohio Valley Disease, the Hidden Poison in Your Attic

If you live in the Mid-Ohio Valley you might have a debilitating disease lying in wait in your attic right now. This disease is known as histoplasmosis, also called Ohio Valley Disease. Histoplasmosis is caused by Histoplasma capsulatum, a fungus. The fungus lives in bat feces.  If you have bats in the attic or have had them at one time, your family might be at risk. The Ohio River Valley is one the areas that this toxin is most frequently found in in the United States which is why it is often referred to as Ohio Valley Disease.

The Center for Disease Control has stated that “an estimated 60% to 90% of people who live in areas surrounding the Ohio and Mississippi River Valleys (where Histoplasma is common in the environment) have been exposed to the fungus at some point during their lifetime.”

The fungus can exist everywhere, and small amounts can be found in the soil in our area. The problem comes when a large amount of the fungus exists in an enclosed place. Bats often get infected with the disease and leave it behind in their feces. When bats live in an attic, then can deposit massive amounts of fungus affected feces over time if the attic is left untreated.

The Danger

When someone breathes in enough Histoplasma capsulatum particles, the fungus begins to infect the lungs. After a time blood passing through the lungs is infected causing the fungus to spread throughout the entire body. While the disease can infect anyone, people with weaker immune systems such as children or the elderly are at even greater risk. The disease can even infect your pets, especially cats.

Histoplasmosis can cause serious issues such as heart and lung problems and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS). According to the Mayo Clinic, the risk of ARDS is that “Histoplasmosis can damage lungs to the point that the air sacs begin filling with fluid. This prevents efficient air exchange and can deplete oxygen levels in the blood”. The fungus can also lead to meningitis, as well as cause there to be excess fluid around the heart.

Getting Rid of the Bats

To prevent Histoplasmosis it is very important that any bats are removed from your house and that old bat feces is properly cleaned up. Getting rid of a bat infestation is a two-step process. First, bats need to be excluded from the house or structure. This is a harmless process to the animals. Excluding bats just means that all the places where the bat get in and out are blocked except for one, and in that one open hole a one way cone is placed that the bats can get out of but can’t get back in. Bats can just need a gap that is three eights of an inch wide to get into a home. Older homes often have a lot of these as the house begins to settle, but newer homes can also be infested. All of these tiny cracks and crevices will need to be sealed up.

Getting bats can only be ethically done certain times of the year. From the middle of May to the middle of August, bats babies are born and are still too young to leave the house by themselves. Because bats are protected animals because they are endangered, it is important to make sure that they are not kicked out of the house at this time because the parents will leave and the babies will die.  If you have someone exclude bats from your home, it is extremely important to make sure it is someone with an Animal Damage Control License, also called Nuisance Wildlife Control Agents. These are businesses trained to get rid of the bats without hurting this endangered species. The way to make sure that the person you are dealing with is properly licensed to handle bats is to call your local branch of the Department of Natural Resources and ask if they are licensed.

Proper Cleanup

The second and equally important step to solving a bat issue is to clean up the leftover dead bats and feces. Cleanup of bat feces left from an infestation is just as important as removing them. Danger of exposure to the droppings can be compared to exposure to asbestos and similar safety measures need to be taken. Anyone removing bat droppings should wear a full respirator as well as a full body protective hazmat suit to prevent exposure to the deadly fungus it contains. It is highly recommended to leave this step to professionals trained to clean up animal feces.

Your Local Wildlife Professionals

Headley’s Wildlife Control is the Mid-Ohio Valley’s team of wildlife control professionals. If you think you might have bats in your home or business, give us a call at 740-516-0689. We are fully licensed, insured and trained professionals that are here to help you with your bat problem. We are licensed to operate in both Ohio and West Virginia. If you give us a call we can come out and take a look at your bat issue and see what we can do to help. We are dedicated to keeping the people of the Parkersburg, Vienna and Marietta area safe from the dangers of Ohio Valley Disease. You can also find more info about us and the services we provide from our Facebook and our website.

If Headley's Wildlife Control can help you in any way,  give us a call at 740-516-0689.